Fried Green Tomatoes (1991)
86%RT Audience Score: 91%
Awards & Nominations: Nominated for 2 Oscars
6 wins & 12 nominations total
Fried Green Tomatoes’ tearjerking drama is undeniably manipulative, but in the hands of a skilled cast that includes Jessica Tandy and Kathy Bates, it’s also powerfully effective
Fried Green Tomatoes is a movie that’s as sweet as honey and as zesty as a jalapeño. Sure, it may have some narrative problems and a few moments that are a bit too sugary, but the performances are so darn good that you won’t even care. It’s a story about friendship, love, and the deep South that will leave you feeling warm and fuzzy inside. So grab a plate of fried green tomatoes and settle in for a movie that’s sure to please.
Production Company(ies)
Alcon Entertainment, Columbia Pictures, Sony
Distributor
Universal Pictures
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Senoia, Georgia, USA
MPAA / Certificate
PG-13
Year of Release
1992
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby Stereo
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Aspect ratio:1.85 : 1
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Runtime:2h 10m
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Language(s):English
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Dec 27, 1991 Original
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 18, 2000
Genre(s)
Drama
Keyword(s)
starring Kathy Bates, Jessica Tandy, Mary Stuart Masterson, Mary-Louise Parker, Nick Searcy, Gailard Sartain, directed by Jon Avnet, written by Fannie Flagg, Carol Sobieski, drama, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Hugo Davenport, Michael Sragow, John Hartl, Ian Nathan, Jay Boyar, Desmond Ryan, Maria Vetrano, Malcolm Johnson, Stephen Hunter, Dennis King, Peter Freedman, Candice Russell, PG-13, female empowerment, anti-racism, friendship, southern charm, tearjerker, manipulative, skilled cast, Jessica Tandy, Kathy Bates, powerfully effective, Ninny Threadgoode, Idgie Threadgoode, Ruth Jamison, Frank Bennett, Ed Couch, Universal Pictures, Surround
Worldwide gross: $119,418,501
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $255,618,353
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 571
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 27,875,502
US/Canada gross: $82,418,501
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $176,418,907
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 427
US/Canada opening weekend: $105,317
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $225,434
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,623
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $11,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $23,545,781
Production budget ranking: 1,277
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $12,679,403
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $219,393,169
ROI to date (est.): 606%
ROI ranking: 212
Jessica Tandy – Ninny Threadgoode
Mary Stuart Masterson – Idgie Threadgoode
Mary-Louise Parker – Ruth Jamison
Nick Searcy – Frank Bennett
Gailard Sartain – Ed Couch
Director(s)
Jon Avnet
Writer(s)
Fannie Flagg, Carol Sobieski
Producer(s)
Jon Avnet
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
Nominated for 2 Oscars
6 wins & 12 nominations total
Academy Awards
Oscar Nominees
All Critics (44) | Top Critics (15) | Fresh (33) | Rotten (11)
Do not be deterred by the indigestible title nor, if feministically inclined, by the fact that it is directed by mere man Jon Avnet. It is funny, cleverly constructed, often rather moving, and only occasionally allows sentiment to slop over the bucket.
May 20, 2022
Hugo Davenport
Daily Telegraph (UK)
TOP CRITIC
[A] clunky, fraudulent, yet apparently crowd-pleasing laugh-and-tear-jerker.
June 2, 2014
Michael Sragow
New Yorker
TOP CRITIC
When a group of actors this gifted and lively tries so good-naturedly to deliver such an obvious message, the audience is left in the position of trying to stop a tidal wave. You may hate yourself for responding, but you’re smothered before you know it.
June 2, 2014 | Rating: 2.5/4
John Hartl
Seattle Times
TOP CRITIC
It’s a nice, pleasant celebration of friendship, but without much meat to chew on.
June 2, 2014 | Rating: 3/5
Ian Nathan
Empire Magazine
TOP CRITIC
Directed and co-written by first-timer Jon Avnet, the episodic production manages to capture the fried-tomato flavor of the deep South without becoming too pushy or patronizing about it.
June 2, 2014 | Rating: 3/5
Jay Boyar
Orlando Sentinel
TOP CRITIC
Fried Green Tomatoes is a case of a film acted with such skill and conviction that glaring problems of narrative, pace and structure seem like minor slips.
June 2, 2014 | Rating: 3/4
Desmond Ryan
Philadelphia Inquirer
TOP CRITIC
The final and most important question is, is Fried Green Tomatoes worth all the compromise or will you leave the theater forlorn and bleary eyed? Not to worry… it will leave you with that warm, gummy feeling you get when Bette Midler sings a lullabye.
May 17, 2022
Maria Vetrano
Gay Community News (Boston)
For all of its false touches, its confusions, its incohesiveness and perplexing shifts of tone, there’s something wonderfully sweet and zesty about Fried Green Tomatoes.
May 22, 2018
Malcolm Johnson
Hartford Courant
It doesn’t quite have the courage to face its own implications and so leaves the story that follows in a kind of blur apt to offend no one but equally incapable of moving anyone.
June 2, 2014
Stephen Hunter
Baltimore Sun
Fried Green Tomatoes is gosh-darned lovable, even if it does get downright sugary at times.
June 2, 2014 | Rating: 3/4
Dennis King
Tulsa World
Essentially a story about friendship between two pairs of women, then and now, it could be classified as an intelligent woman’s picture, but this truly uplifting and gratifying movie can and should be enjoyed by all.
June 2, 2014 | Rating: 4/5
Peter Freedman
Radio Times
The fine performances and worthy themes are sold short. There are two films here, neither one of which is as fully developed as it could be.
June 2, 2014
Candice Russell
South Florida Sun-Sentinel…
Plot
Evelyn Couch is having trouble in her marriage, and no one seems to take her seriously. While in a nursing home visiting relatives, she meets Ninny Threadgoode, an outgoing old woman, who tells her the story of Idgie Threadgoode, a young woman in 1920’s Alabama. Through Idgie’s inspiring life, Evelyn learns to be more assertive and builds a lasting friendship of her own with Ninny.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
No goofy, funny, or odd comments were found in the Fresh Kernels review for Fried Green Tomatoes.
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